HOUSE & HOME
Aromatherapy meets decor.
In my humble opinion, dried lavender is a home decor must-have. Not only am I a sucker for french-inspired design, but who doesn't love the aroma of lavender year-round? Keep reading to find out how you can harvest and dry your very own!
HARVESTING LAVENDER
Timing is everything.
The key to having fragrant dried lavender comes down to how you harvest it. You want to make sure that you are cutting lavender right at it's peak. This means waiting until the lavender buds on the bottom-third of the stem have started to blossom.
Be careful not to let this optimal harvest period pass you by! If you wait until the entire plant has bloomed, it's more likely that it will have reaped the effects of that extra sun exposure - colours won't be as vibrant, and the lavender may not be as aromatic.
Harvesting lavender in the morning will ensure that the essential oil concentrations in the buds are at their highest. Ideally, wait until the morning dew has dried if you want to expedite the drying process.
DRYING LAVENDER
Good things come to those who wait.
One of the great things about lavender is that it maintains its aroma even when dried.
To dry your harvested lavender, bundle stems together with elastics at the base. Hang stems upside down to dry for 1-2 weeks, preferably in a room with minimal sunlight to protect the colour and aroma of the lavender.
Not every lavender variety lends itself well to dried bundles - Grosso lavender varieties will be your best bet for high quality bunches. Provence varieties tend to shed more easily off the stem once dry.